Office parties are a great way to break up the monotony of work and create camaraderie in the workplace.  They don’t just have to be for people’s birthdays or office milestones, take opportunities to celebrate fun national holidays or just because you are all working so hard.  Office parties also don’t have to be huge undertakings – take a load off and try some of these ideas for making your parties not only fun, but hassle-free.

Party Planning Committee

Get some people involved who love party planning and form a group that can meet during lunch or at slow times.  This will take the strain off of one person always being the organizer and initiator.  Assign a head of each party or event so everyone is sharing the job of being in charge. 

Get the Whole Office Involved

Again, it’s easier to take on events as a group, rather than one person doing everything.  Utilize sign-up sheets around the office to get people involved.  Maybe get a potluck together or a baking contest so you’ll have lots of food being supplied by everyone.  People will love having a break from the everyday grind and it gives everyone a moral boost at the same time.

Laptop with party streamers

It’s Not Your Birthday

Office parties don’t have to just be for birthdays.  Sometimes it’s fun to have a party for no reason other than that.  Have a themed lunch for the seasons or silly national holidays (Donut Day anyone?).  It will give office workers something to look forward to and something fun to plan and celebrate.

Party on a Budget

There are lots of ways to be party planners on a budget.  Create a potluck sign-up sheet for those people who want to participate in a themed lunch.  You’ll be crowd sourcing the food and responsibility easily.  Everyone has left over plates, napkins and other decorations from parties sitting at home in a closet stuffed away somewhere – create a box for party supply donations at your office and you’ll have an influx of free décor.  Search out the crafty employees who love to showcase their talents to create fun and inexpensive decorations.  The possibilities are endless when it comes to money-saving ideas for your parties.

Time and Location

To keep your parties from interrupting the workflow and priorities of everyone’s jobs, you’ll want to be creative in when and where your parties will be held.  Look for opportunities of slower business and needs and have finite start and end times.  Have a plan for cleanup in place so it’s not a daunting task that takes up too much time.  The key to have a successful office party is prep and execution.  You’ll want to prove you can reward your employees without causing distraction and disruption in the workday. 

Parties can be an awesome way to keep morale high and love where you work.  Try some new ways to throw office parties and find what works best for your workspace and its people.

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